Skipping Stones
by Vindicated Irony
Summary: Zaizen Nagisa is happy to be away from Shitenhoji; Tachibana An is just glad she has someone to talk to dust bunnies with. Even if the fact that she's still referred to as 'Tachibana's little sister' kind of grinds her gears. A story of hopscotch, Venus flytraps, and perhaps some tennis too. Some MomoAn sprinkled here and there. OC/?


_**-:**__ Young hearts, out our minds_

_Runnin like we outta time_

_Wild childs, lookin' good __**:-**_

.

It was with little regret and a lot of relief that Zaizen Nagisa looked upon the change in living arrangements her family was going through. Osaka was fine, completely and totally fine, but part of her just felt wrong there; like she didn't belong. Which, really, she was somewhat proud about in the long run.

Shitenhoji was where she had spent the entirety of her middle school years, and the insanity Nagisa had dealt with was something she was glad to be rid of. The only seemingly normal people she'd known there were Koishikawa Kenjirō, the forever ignored vice-captain of the tennis team, and her own cousin Zaizen Hikaru (it was more of a familial obligation to state that he was _normal_ though).

It was also thanks to that disrespectful cousin of hers that she'd been shoved head over heels to land face first into the pool of the insane elite of Shitenhoji.

Really, _why_ did they have to make him join the club that first year? And what had she done that deserved her being involved with their wacked up tennis team – she didn't even play tennis for Pete's sake, running was more her forte.

So when her father received a promotion that required a move to Tokyo, she'd nearly shed tears of relief.

No more weirdo doubles partners and speed freaks for her, thank you very much.

So when faced with the choice between Rikkaidai and Seigaku – Hyotei was close by too, but Nagisa was far too fond of her internal organs to consider selling them to pay for tuition – Nagisa settled for the lesser of two evils: Seigaku.

She paused momentarily while brushing her teeth and silently swore to punch anyone who mocked her Kansai-ben in the gut. Couldn't mock if you couldn't breathe, she decided as she spit rather viciously into the sink.

**-_x_-**

"Class 1-B is over this way," Honami told Nagisa, practically dragging the black-haired girl down the hallway. It was very obvious that it was the first day of school as there were (fellow) first years stumbling around with adorably lost looks on their faces, and Nagisa sent them a look of understanding.

'_I know how you feel,'_ she sympathized, _'This sucks, but you'll be okay.'_

Though Nagisa didn't feel too bad, as she just knew that if she'd chosen Rikkaidai it would be even worse. Without her new neighbor – Honami, bless her and thank goodness she'd had an older brother that she'd bugged in the high school section – she'd be pretty well screwed here at Seigaku too.

Once 1-B was in sight – not that Nagisa was really paying attention – she slammed into Honami's back after the girl stopped. Honami's hazel eyes turned to meet Nagisa's blue-grey ones, showing Nagisa that her friend wasn't annoyed by being turned into a human airbag, but that she was rather amused by it.

Or maybe she was amused by the two boys who were face to face with ugly scowls and twitching eyebrows.

"That's Kaidō Kaoru," Honami pointed a delicate finger at the boy with the flat lying hair (Was he hissing..?) before pointing to the one with gravity defying hair, "and that's Momoshiro Takeshi. They're both former regulars from the middle school team, though they didn't make it this year, and they kind of argue a lot. It was the same in middle school too."

Nagisa nearly twitched – she just couldn't avoid tennis, could she? Hopefully they weren't insane like her old school's regulars.

Dear God she hoped they weren't insane.

As she followed Honami past the two and into the classroom her hand reached to search around the inside of her bag where a faint buzzing was coming from and vaguely wondered who would be contacting her this early in the morning.

Honami cooed at the Domo charm hanging from Nagisa's phone –

**From: Zaizen Hikaru (Brat-aru):**

_Fall up any steps yet? Or have you managed to set a record and make yourself a social pariah before school has even started?_

Nagisa's nose scrunched as she typed her response:

_Shut up. I'm too graceful to trip up stairs, and I'm not the one who insults my senpais. So, stick a sock in it, Brat-aru._

**From: Zaizen Hikaru (Brat-aru):**

_As graceful as a bear on a trampoline. And stop calling me that._

With the way she was typing, Honami figured the reply Nagisa was giving was a rather vehement one –

_Never, Brat-aru._

Either not wanting to continue the conversation or just not wanting to risk getting in trouble (even if class hadn't started yet), Nagisa silenced her phone and shoved it back down in her bag. Honami took that as a signal to drag her new dark-haired neighbor/friend over to a section of seats that already had two other girls; presumably Honami's friends.

Nagisa had forgotten their names as soon as they were said, though she wasn't too bothered by the fact. They probably wouldn't be too insulted as it wasn't like Nagisa had went to the same school as them before now.

"I can't believe we're lucky enough to be in the same class as Momoshiro-san!" The one with short chestnut hair chirped – _Sanai? Sakura?_ – before leaning forward with a sigh, "I wish I was a third year though; so most of the tennis regulars _are_ third years after all."

Nagisa bit back a groan and reasoned with herself – _You don't know these regulars; they might not be crazy. Can anyone really be __**Shitenhoji**__ crazy?_

After that though the new girl zoned out, only to be brought back who knows how much later when one of the girls asked her a question. Bullcraping an answer shouldn't be too hard, she figured, and it might confuse them enough that they'd forget what they'd originally asked anyways. Luckily, she didn't have to as the teacher chose that moment to walk in.

_Thank you, _the black-haired girl relaxed in her seat, _thank you dear authority figure for saving my skin._

**-_x_-**

Nagisa felt a bit numb as she sat at the lunch table, picking at her onigiri and only catching bits and pieces of conversation. She was exiled at the end of the table, though maybe 'exiled' wasn't the right word as she'd chosen the spot herself.

She edged away from the table, only minutes after sitting down. Honami turned towards her and Nagisa waved her off, "Just taking a trip to the little girl's room."

Appeased by the explanation, Honami turned back to the others as Nagisa scampered off. As if cursed by Hikaru's earlier comment Nagisa nearly hurled face first into the wall after tripping through the swinging doors of the lunch area.

"I'm fine," she called out to the stray ball of lent lying in a corner. Her blue-grey eyes latching onto the girl's bathroom sign.

After taking care of her business, once again Nagisa tripped – the doors at this school had it out for her, really.

She jerked back up and dusted off her skirt, "So meant to do that."

"That," a girl's voice called out, "was pure skill. If you did indeed mean to do it."

Nagisa met the brown eyes of a girl with short, light brown hair, "Indeed I did. Took a special class all about the art of tripping out doors last year."

The girl nodded gravely, "You must have had a good teacher."

Nagisa's lips quirked up and the two girls appraised each other. Nagisa stuck out a hand, "Zaizen Nagisa."

"Tachibana An." Her handshake was firm, and An returned the smile that Nagisa sent her.

"So, Tachibana An, what are you doing wandering around out here during lunch?" What Nagisa almost wanted to ask was _'Are you an outsider too?'_

An waved a hand in the air, motioning momentarily to a rather large ball of lint, "Just talking to dust bunnies. They get awfully lonely sometimes, you know?"

Nagisa nodded in understanding, both at An's comment and at the fact that she understood the secret message – An was new here too.

"Why don't you come back to lunch with me?" Nagisa nodded towards the table she sat at that you could just so happen to see through the windows in the doors – _'Why don't we be new together?'_

An agreed and they shared another smile before moving towards the table. Introductions were made and, once again, no names really stuck with Nagisa. An seemed to fare no better, though she would manage, she was sure.

Since An didn't seem to have any food Nagisa held out an extra onigiri –

"Is it the pickled brain filled kind?" An questioned as she took it.

Nagisa waggled her eyebrows, "But of course."

And thus a beautiful friendship of the best kind was formed. Nagisa was pretty sure her magnanimous smile sealed the deal, or maybe it was her mother's cooking.

…Who was she kidding; it was her magnificently magnificent personality.

**-_x_-**

"How do you stand it," An lamented a week later, her body splayed across Nagisa's bed, "All that running just seems terrible."

Nagisa waved a hand, her other occupied with feeding her Venus flytrap Amaterasu, "I _like_ running. I'm _good_ at running. How do _you_ stand tennis practice?"

"Touché, my friend, touché," An wiggled around and propped up so she could see Amaterasu snap up flies. She jabbed a finger at Nagisa and then at the plant, "You have got to let me feed Amaterasu sometime. If you don't I'll be crushed.

"I might even die," the lighter haired girl stressed, "Would you really want the death of an intelligent, beautiful high school student's death on your hands?"

Nagisa turned to squint at An who stared defiantly back at her. Both girls could almost hear the cheesy standoff music for American Western movies play in the background. Nagisa lifted up her chin and gave An a sly smile –

"You must _earn_ the right to feed Ama-chan, my dear An-chan."

An mimicked her friend's actions, "And what must one do to earn such a honorable right?"

Nagisa swept her arms out wide, a magnanimous smile on her face as if she was introducing a superstar, "You must simply spin in a circle ten times before playing hopscotch. Then you must snap Momo-chan with a twisted up towel. _Then_ you may feed Ama-chan."

"Get out your sidewalk chalk and get your ass out to the sidewalk." An jumped up and ran to the door, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. She'd feed that plant if it was the last thing she did. "I'm doing this. I'll be feeding Ama-chan in no time, just you wait."

With a loud burst of laughter Nagisa squeezed past An and went to pull the bucket of sidewalk chalk from under their kitchen sink, her mother shooting the girls an amused look as they tried to squeeze out the door at the same time.

"What is that?" An mocked her friend, "Those lines aren't straight."

The dark-haired girl pointed an imperious finger at An and they had a silent stare down. Nagisa's eyes glistened with amusement, her words not in the least bit serious, "Fuck you."

An laughed, scaring off a couple of stray birds that were pecking at the ground, "Right back at you, 'Gisa-chan."

Once she was done drawing the hopscotch field for and Nagisa pointed her finger at An again and twirled it, "Spin like the pretty little ballerina you secretly think you are in your heart."

So she did, and then she hopped. And if An said so herself – which she did – she tore that hopscotch game up. She was the freakin' _queen_ of dizzy hopscotch as far as she was concerned. Nagisa gave her a slow clap and An bowed.

"Tomorrow," An watched as Nagisa took a turn at dizzy hopscotch, "I will earn my right. Also; you suck at this. You should quit. Forever."

Nagisa snorted and pushed her bangs out of her face, still teetering from spinning around. "So sorry I can't carry it out with the finesse that you do, oh great hopscotch ballerina."

An snorted, then Nagisa laughed and moments later they were both crying they were laughing so hard. Neither of them really knew why they were laughing; just that is felt right and good and like they were having the best damn time in the world.

**-_x_-**

The next day both girls separated at the end of the day for their separate practices – An for tennis and Nagisa for cross-country.

Nagisa wanted to punch someone in the face – her captain – for making her do all of these pushups. Then she had to bench-press a forty-five pound bar before squatting the same bar and good God she dreaded running with her sore muscles after this.

'_Why'd she make us do this first,'_ Nagisa exhaled sharply as Wakana Rei – her spotter – helped put the bar back in place._ 'At Shitenhoji we ran first then worked out. So much easier that way.'_

"C'mon," their captain yelled, her hands clapping together sharply, "We're going to go to a mile time trial and then we'll be finished for the day."

When a large portion of the club's members started chattering their captain – Suoh Kimiko – called out sharply, "Hey. Shut up. Don't get so excited. Tomorrow is a long distance day.

"Well," she drawled as she continued, "For some of us, anyways. I'll be making that decision today."

Nagisa was practically vibrating she was so ready for this mile to start, but she knew she'd have to keep a good pace and not go crazy. She had few doubts that if someone finished wheezing and spluttering they'd be barred from the distance training tomorrow as it meant they couldn't keep going after running that pace.

The sharp, crisp sound of a start whistle had Nagisa moving before she could even register that she was. Many others were practically sprinting already and Nagisa resisted the urge to laugh and screw up her breathing so early on. She'd have to pick them off, either by squeezing through the cracks or taking the outside route.

'_What a bother,'_ the dark-haired girl slid by a panting group of fellow first year girls. Her breathing as slow and even, her blue-grey eyes trained on the next mass of girls she wanted to pass.

Nagisa was the ninth girl to finish, if you didn't count the two girls spluttering and hyperventilating in the grass. Which she didn't.

"Not bad, Zaizen." Suoh Kimiko eyed the first year, "Not bad at all. We'll see how you handle distance running tomorrow."

Nagisa laughed a breathless laugh, _'I don't know whether to pat myself on the back, of if I should say 'Fuck me'.'_

**-_x_-**

Tennis practice wasn't supposed to be the same worthless, time consuming crap it had been back in her first year of middle school. An was beyond racket swinging and picking up balls – so far beyond that.

"You look upset, Tachibana's little sister," Momoshiro Takeshi called from the water fountain, a grin on his face, "Don't be worrying. Just keep swinging."

"Don't butcher movie lines, Momo-chan." She called back, pushing some of her chestnut hair back behind her ear. Her lips pursed, "And don't call me that! It's An! An!"

Momoshiro laughed and smiled and An wanted to use her racket to smack that silly smile off his face. That silly, cute smile. She'd liked him back during middle school and it seemed that attraction hadn't quite faded yet, though Momoshiro had never quite reciprocated the feelings in any way, shape, or form.

_Tachibana's little sister_. Was that all she'd ever be to that boy?

God, and she had to whip him with a towel today. Damn Nagisa and that precious Venus flytrap of hers.

As practice ended An noticed Nagisa sauntering her way, her gym bag slung over her shoulder and her face still glistening with sweat. And was pretty sure hers was too, and she was sure it made her look fantastic. Like a goddess.

"Are you prepared, An-chan," Nagisa drawled, her shoulders pulled back. She circled An before stopping and pointing at her target, "Are you prepared to take on this task of upmost importance?"

"Damn straight I am." An started towards Momoshiro, twisting up the towel in her hands as she did. Nagisa's own light footsteps followed quietly and quickly behind her and An readied her arms to snap as they got closer.

"Hey, Momo-chan!"

Momoshiro turned and An snapped and then Momoshiro shrieked. A crisp snapping sound rang through the air and Nagisa laughed, loud and sweet at the affronted look on Momoshiro's face.

"What was that for?!"

An had a solemn look on her face, "Sorry, but I had to earn the right to feed Ama-chan and this was the only way."

When given that piece of information Momoshiro looked even more confused and the girls just gave him serious, solemn look that he couldn't decipher. The three had a stare down until Kaidō came up and somehow pissed off Momo.

_It was the look Momo gave him,_ An's eyes seemed to say to Nagisa.

Nagisa shook her head, _No, no, they're just a tad bit crazy._

In the end it didn't matter because somehow the girls convinced the two that they needed to go to WacDonald's and treat them to some food. It wasn't until they sat down at a table with the food that they'd already paid for that the boys seemed to realize they'd been manipulated.

"Man," Momoshiro lamented, chomping down on a fry as he did, "Why do girls have to be so manipulative. Especially the cute ones."

An flushed and Nagisa elbowed her, only to get elbowed back. And so they kept going discretely until both were sure they'd have bruised on their sides. Kaidō hissed from his seat, slightly embarrassed that he'd been manipulated as well. And the girls just smiled at them, all the while elbowing each other.

"It's okay though, right?" Nagisa could hear her Kansai-ben clearly. An elbow to a particularly ticklish spot in her side had Nagisa spluttering into her drink. She coughed and ignored the odd looks the boys sent her, "It's okay because we're friends, right?"

"I'm sorry," Momoshiro teased, "I couldn't quite hear that through that accent."

A second later Momoshiro yelped, his knees jerking up to smack the table and causing Kaido to smirk at his misfortune as both An and Nagisa both kicked Momoshiro in his shins.

At the same time they spoke:

"Don't mock my/her accent!"

**-_x_-**

**My God, why am I doing this? Why am I writing another story? Why? **

**Though I can guarantee this is a 'I'll get to it when I get to it' story. These chapter are going to be 3k+ words every time. I swear it, but this is just because I love stories like Neon Genesis' **_**250 Dark Stars**_** and **_**Kick Drum Hearts**_**.**

**So, yeah.**

**And is Nagisa slightly crazy? Maybe a little.**

**I blame the crazy at Shitenhoji that she dealt with. She would too; but alas, she still sees herself as normal.**

**I only own Nagisa.**

**The lyrics at the top are from Ke$ha's 'Die Young'**


End file.
